1-26-16
The mental, virtual hike is almost over. That's the months of map and guidebook study, emailing for info, phone calls to mail drops, spreadsheet-building, gear list making, head scratching and decision forming - all the stuff that goes into a long distance hike. I like doing it. I think it's interesting and creative and I learn a lot about myself and the route.
What has come from all of that is a plan to hike a continuous path from the East Coast to the West Coast. Most of it is on the American Discovery Trail, but some is not. I am going to take alternate routes around areas that don't allow wheeled vehicles or that don't contribute to the purpose of the walk.
So please don't call this a thru-hike of the ADT. That would be disrespectful of the few hardy souls who have actually performed that feat. But also, please don't dismiss my hike as somehow illegitimate. If I am successful, I will have walked across a continent some 4,000 miles in eight months, an average of 20 miles per hiking day. I'll be very happy with that.
If you have been following the weather news, you may have noticed that the Delaware coast got socked with near record high tides and a powerful storm that destroyed their protective dunes, knocked out power, and flooded coastal areas, including Lewes DE, the cool little town where the ADT begins. No telling what shape it's going to be in when I get there in a few weeks. Oh yeah, and they got a foot and a half of snow, too.
http://www.weather.com/storms/winter/video/winter-storm-jonas-slams-coastal-delaware
Who's idea was this, anyway?
Oh well, I can't control any of that, so I will prepare as best I can and strive to be flexible as needed with the plan I have concocted. I'm ready to walk. Bobalooie is almost completely outfitted (picture of a fully dressed out Bobalooie is forthcoming), and my train leaves for D.C. February 16.
As part of the fundraising effort, I will blog regularly on http://www.reachacrossamerica.org (RAA) to let people know where I am and stuff, so if you want to follow the hike, you can toggle back and forth between here and there. If you are a veteran reader of my other trips on this site or if you used to get my email updates back on the PCT, I will continue to post my usual nonsense on Palomino Dream just because that's what I do. And if you are inclined to support the cause, you can pledge whatever amount you want on the RAA site. A penny per mile will work out to about forty bucks if I finish the whole thing as planned. You don't have to pay until the end. Many of you have already contributed, so I don't think I need to talk about that any more on these pages. I am super grateful and I promise my best effort.
Peace, Love, and Counting Down,
Jim
